Ai Land was dragging his feet this morning. He wasn't prepared for school today. Not if it was going to be like yesterday. It wasn't enough that they were making fun of his brother- never mind the technicality of the situation, that the person in the video is in fact NOT his brother, but the students made fun, all the same. Some asked "why?" as in, why would his brother post something like that for the world to see, changing his name meant nothing. Then there was the fact that they wondered "how?" as in, how could his brother get abducted by the same person twice? They all saw the news report when Hakuo went home and did the interview. They empathized with him then- granted they were confused about the whole amnesia thing, but still, they empathized with kindness because Ai lost his older brother.

But now, it seemed as if his brother, at least, this is what the Land teen has figured is the student's excuse for this newly developed behavior of ridicule and teasing on his expense, has decided to further share what had happened to him because Yakusoku has become so messed up that he actually wants the attention. How does that make sense? Ai doesn't know. But, it's an explanation. There's also the possibility that they feel uncomfortable about it and have decided to vanquish it by being dicks.

Just skip, just skip. This was his train of thought as he shouldered on his backpack then climbed into his car. The last remaining fragment of his brother in his life. He doesn't know as to why Hakuo decided to email him back about Michelle, or even about what had actually happened in regards to the infamous Facebook page, but it made him feel safe. Like he may not be as alone as he'd once thought. And Hakuo was right, he does need to move on and not worry about toxic girls. Michelle really might get what's coming to her, someday or somehow.

He actually has started liking this other girl, and she's nice. As far as he's seen. He's never spoken to her, but he has seen her around school and was planning on talking to her sometime this week. Ai isn't so sure he can now. With what happened yesterday, it would probably be a while before he can walk the halls of school without being hooted at or questioned. There was staring too. People wondering why but too afraid to ask it, or they've giving him sympathetic eyes- even if the reason why is unknown to the receiver and the giver.

'Maybe I should schedule an appointment with Dr. Greenwood?' The car rolls smoothly down the driveway and onto the street, he paused for a moment to shift gears then he started for school. 'He's always telling me I can talk to him, and as far as I know he's still staying current in my brother's life- I mean, Hakuo's.' He really must stop seeing the Krenn teen as his brother. It'll never get better for anyone if he can't let go. He'll just end up as his parents. Pissed. Broken- far worse than he already is- and depressed.

His parents won't admit it, but what happened over Easter really hurt them. It cut like a machete and the wound wasn't trying to close or even get stitched together to begin the healing process. They're just hurt. Stuck in the hurt. The couple are grieving like it's a given punishment for what happened to cause Yakusoku to leave their home in the first place. Ai wondered, but would never ask, if his mom and dad regretted how they handled the situation of Yakusoku's sexuality? If they had it to do over, would they understand or even make the effort to? It didn't seem that way, not when his mother would keep calling Ludwig 'That boy' in a tone that says she's not the least bit sorry about his death.

Ai always believed that he lived in such a wonderful and warm, and loving home. He knew why he didn't care for his brother's relationship with Ludwig, but he can't understand why his parents disapproval went beyond that. He hated that he thought Ludwig was taking advantage of his brother, because as it turned out he was not. He truly loved his brother, and upon realizing this, his anger dissipated. But Reeve and Quinn Land were adamant in their standing.

Climbing out of the car, he braced himself as he strolled through the parking lot into the school building.

"Hi, Ai," Michelle greeted him when she saw him walking down the hall, she seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Margot." He said clear as a bell, being sure to raise his hand to her as a wave to let her know that he intentionally got her name wrong and wasn't in fact talking to some phantom girl named Margot somewhere else in the hall.

"I said I was sorry," She followed him to his class. "When are you going to forgive me?"

"Hmm…" He paused as if he was really thinking about it. "2070 sounds about right. Buzz off." Taking a seat at his desk, he removed his mp3 player and zoned out to whatever was playing in the shuffle.

And as the class filed in for biology, he was allowed to miss the cat-calls and insults towards his brother and himself through loud, comforting, music. Luckily, the teacher filled out the in between, because if he's forced to leave his earbuds in all day the battery would die and then so would he. Just a few more hours and it'll all be over for another day.

Just a few more hours and it'll all be over for the day. This is what Hakuo Krenn thought as he rests his profile on the desk in health class. He's not sad, not really. He just likes watching the ink bleed into the paper and he can see it a lot better from this angle. He is getting restless, though, of the students murmuring at him with insults about his orientation, age preference, and how they never pegged him as a bottom. They must have taped together all the times he's puffed up his chest to tell someone to shut up and assumed that whenever he has sex he's all top. Those who didn't throw insults, looked at him with sympathy and curiosity from wonder of the 'how and why' of the situation, or they muttered apologies about the Facebook page having been created in the first place.

Thanks to Nathen starting the ball rolling, a lot of students were losing interest in the videos since his friend pointed out that they were faked just as the doctored photos were. One look at Hakuo's physique proved that much. He's got two abs, all day, and thighs that'd made a girl jealous. He's not exactly a studly bodybuilder. Those who believed it was doctored took his side, and on his behalf hated Lee Deakins, some even expressed that they were glad he was expelled for having done it. Others weren't buying it. They agreed that the photos were doctored but the video feed looked too real, and Hakuo likely setup Lee's dad. It was gross that an older man would want sexual gratification from an eighteen year old but it wasn't uncommon these days. Hakuo could be messed up because of his past, and he could have hated Lee and set his father up. When he refused to pay him, he lashed out.

Others didn't care heads or tails. The moment was what it was, and it was now over. Hakuo decidedly liked those students best. He was with them on the matter. He wanted everyone to forget what had happened. He wanted to forget what happened. He can't. But, he very much wants to. The Krenn teen can feel it. The full feeling from this morning when he woke up a changed man. A whole man. All those wounds, inside and out. The touch of those lechers, the taste of their breath. Some foul with their activities down below during the assault upon him, others were overly minty, it was like kissing an Altoid mint. Some tasted like the last meal they'd eaten. Their grubby hands squeezing the life out of his limbs to keep him in place. A tiny little boy, so afraid of what was going on that he couldn't simply hurl them off with his gift- never mind that Marissa Ashford was stronger than him, being an adult who wasn't stifled by fear distracting her strength.

'Oh crap!' He blinked a group of droplets from his eyes, worse than that, he couldn't stop himself from sniffling before he could get a tissue and pass it off as simply blowing his nose.

That really got a small stir going. The indifferent, rock of a human being was crying right there in the middle of class. He couldn't help it!

'I should have stayed home,' he frowned; rummaging through his backpack he located a small pack of tissues and removed two to blow his nose. He's too weighed with overflowing emotions to be around people to go through the motions. Was this going to be happening all day? Wouldn't that suck.

Marissa's cold dead gaze as she watched him being violated for pay, behind the video camera, was laying on his mind like a drift in the sea. Rocking and rippling the flat glass of his mental ocean. It just made him so angry. He was sold off, he was violated left and right just because she wanted revenge on someone she'd already taken it from! She molested and raped him. She stole his first child from him. She tainted his existence. Heaven help him if anyone ever finds out about Elias.

'Man, you guys suck ass.' He thought when he raised his hand to be excused, so he could finish this episode in private in the bathroom. 'What's the point of laughing and whispering? I already feel like shit, do you really have to add to it?'

Out in the hall, he felt himself calming down as he pushed into the bathroom to clean his face. He silent wept for another four minutes then he dried up. It was long enough to wash his face and double check if he really was over it, then he returned to class and resumed it as if nothing had happened.

Yup. He should have just stayed home.

Yup. He should have just stayed home. That's what Gev London thought as he woke up that morning, smelling of love and someone else's, sugar scented, bed.

He rubbed his face from eye goo, which alerted him to the post-it stuck to his cheek as his fingers came into contact with the slip of paper. Peeling it from his face, he turned it over and read: Good morning. Gev cocked his head, not sure of how to read into it, if there was anything to read into, because it could simply be what it is. A good morning greeting. Oh, but there's another one on his neck. Looking down along his body he finds that the notes run down the length of his body.

Note #2: You're still in bed? Well, if it's not hideously late in the morning, my mom made you pancakes around 7:40 before she left for work. Microwave.

Note #3: Really? You're still here? Get dressed, eat, and go home. You have school.

Note #4: Still reading these!? What's coming off, man? This is awkward enough without having to face you today after school.

Note #5: Fine. If you're staying you need to wash my bedding and remake the bed. And don't steal anything.

Note #6: I'm kidding. But go home, I'll call you later. I promise.

Gev's brow furrowed. As if, he'll go home. He wants to know where he stands with Hakuo. Is he into him due to Mamoru or not. How much of his boyfriend is still there on the surface? What if he's back to normal, only now instead of being Asexual he's actually into people none of which are himself? Could he handle that? He isn't sure he can. No, he's positive he can't. But, what can he do? If Hakuo doesn't like him romantically- or even physically- what can he do?

Dropping the notes into the small grated wastebasket, he got out of bed going straight for the bathroom to wash and dress in yesterday's clothes. It was kind of strange. The only house he's ever been inside of without one of the homeowners occupying it was the Land's place, and that wasn't for long because Yakusoku was on his way home.

Gev, now dressed and filling his stomach with reheated pancakes and fatty bacon, is walking around the bedroom of his could-be lover just taking it in. The walls have Batman- namely Joker decor, a doll of the madman is standing on the dresser- it kind of gave him the creeps, it feels as if it's watching him, making sure everything is on the level. The bedding is an unusual color choice, kind of tacky actually. The whole room is off-to-the-left compared to Yakuza and Ludwig's bedrooms. But, it was endearing, it screamed of its owner. Just as Ludwig's. His violin loving boyfriend wore his admirations right out in the open, compared to the generic bedroom of Yakusoku. Although, he did have at least two Sixx AM and a Linkin Park poster up on the wall where the bed was placed. Less is more, it seemed.

Hakuo's wardrobe earned a smile, it was a shuffle of purples, greens, and dark greys, with a few yellow accent pieces. But mostly, it was dark colors. He doesn't have random board games, as Yakusoku did, but he did find a couple comics on the shelf, and some DVDs. No surprise, they are Batman movies- oh, no wait, box sets of shows. Whichever. Setting them back where he got them, Gev exited the bedroom and headed downstairs to clean the empty plate. As he washed the plate, he watched out the window as an elderly man smoked a thin cigar while throwing a stick to a shepherd dog.

To leave or not to leave. Ran through Gev's mind, as he detoured into the living room to watch a little television while he tied his sneakers. He half expected to a news report to cut through the horror movie he found on Syfy to report that the body, whatever that offending shit head's name is, had been found somewhere in town, cause of death being natural circumstances. But, no, a white-faced ghoul using children to kill their family played on without interruption of anything other than commercial breaks.

Turning off the TV he checked the window locks, the back door, then he exits the home, locking the front door on his way down to the street. He climbed onto his bike and he, with his head hung, went home. Hakuo said he would call him. Why push it? It'd only seem desperate. He's lost everyone else, why not the last of them? Maybe it's time he found a way to move on as well? What harm could it do?

What harm could it do? This is what Zane Hyde thought as he sat up this morning dressed for school and surfing the internet on his laptop for all the information he could find on this guy named Ludwig Ballantyne. He wondered why his brother had his phone? What could he be doing with it? Did he steal it? Did he find it, planning to return it? Or maybe he just wanted to steal the photos of that chef from the memory card. It was all up in the air. But, be that as it may, he was going to get answers. And strangely enough, he was going to tell Bishop of his findings. Why not? The little queer turned him onto the situation when he could have kept it to himself.

He would have done this last night, but he was exhausted with fear trembling through him after he'd swiped, rifled through, then returned the phone to the night stand where it had been carelessly left. But, why would his brother think that anyone would go into his bedroom and swipe his phone when they have their own? On top of that, it wasn't exactly out in the open because Will slipped it into the phone case that he uses to cover his own.

He plugged it into his computer and downloaded the images and videos onto his laptop then saved them onto a USB, just in case anyone went through his computer. He wouldn't want to be accused of hoarding the photos and videos. He can look at them later at Bishop's house. There's nowhere more private than the Graham's. But, Zane did want to know who these people are, and why they are of interest to Will.

He found out that Ludwig Ballantyne had been killed in a fire in his car last year in December, but then upon police investigation they found out that someone had in fact started the fire. And the incident was being looked at as a murder, but so far no suspect has been found. That was scary. He didn't wanna think that his brother had anything to do with it, but then why would he have the guy's phone? And where had he gotten it from?

'He could have swiped it from one of the other guys in the pictures. He could he blackmailing him with the information.' Although, he couldn't figure out what his brother would blackmail someone for. Money? Not likely. Some item he wants? Also, unlikely. So, what then?

"Zaaane, the bus is comiiing!" His mother called up the stairs. "Get your ass down here!"

He can hear Will laugh at him even from downstairs. He hurried out of his bedroom and followed his brother out the front door to the bus stop. He watched as Will spoke to McKenna, they seem to be on better terms lately, and he tried to give eye signals to Bishop that he wanted to talk, but the little queer only had eyes for his brother. He was probably wondering if Will and McKenna are getting back together or already back together? Like it mattered, he knows his brother, he's not into dudes. But, then again, since his waking up from the coma his brother hasn't been the same. Who knows what kinds of things he'd be into or doing now.

He knows one thing, his day was going to be very unproductive with the USB burning a hole in his pocket.

Will was still behaving like a specimen in a freakshow as he exited the school building. He wanted to wash the whole incident off, because students are- obviously- still talking about what had happened yesterday. It's even possible that a good lot of them spent the evening or night trying to relocate the footage, virus be damned! People often have more than one device to get online. He feels violated. He feels angry- angrier- because he couldn't say anything to them about it. He couldn't defend Hakuo Krenn without a billion questions being fired at him as to what business it was of his if they talked about him? It was a verbal media free-for-all. And Will Hyde was no bodyguard and neither was he the buzzed about celebrity of which they speculated. Anyone else who might feel the same way about the slander and 'mind your business' situation, were treating it as just that and were minding their own business.

Either way, it was a long day walking on nerves. Needless as they are, since, again, the videos aren't him. Ludwig wasn't taking it any easier. He's angry right along with him, and a few times had to be calmed from snapping at someone he overheard calling Hakuo names, because he too considered the situation Yakusoku's as well as the Krenn teen's and he wasn't about to have it. He was having one of those episodes of certainly wanting out of this dumb kid's body to be away from these dopey teens and their inconsiderate way of behaving.

Yakusoku looked out the window of the bus; the pitter patter of rain blurred the view considerably, but he still saw his brother dashing along the yard after his friend. He waved goodbye to Bishop who'd turned and waved to him before he hurried for cover in his house. The rain had been unexpected, so everyone was getting soaked unless their home was closer to the bus stop. Looks like he'd be getting soaked.

'Great.' He groaned and readied himself to dash off for the Hyde house when the yellow behemoth slowed to a stop at the last area.

Using his backpack as an umbrella, held high over his head, he hurried three doors down and a split in the sidewalk to the Hyde home and firmly closed the door on the elements once he was inside. Shaking off his wet backpack while swearing in a displeased whisper that he still got quite wet from the wind throwing water on him as it blew at him while he ran through it. Brushing his hand down his chest and legs, he left the wet bag for dead at the door then wandered into the kitchen for a drink.

Weather like this called for tea and he was hurting for a cup of coffee, to be honest. But, he'd settle for tea today. Yakusoku checked his phone and saw an email from Ai. He was sorry to hear about what happened, and wished there was something that he could do. He also mentioned that he's not having an easy time of it either. Everyone is harassing him since they can't tease or question, or ogle his brother to quell their hungry questions. Twice he got asked if his brother took Paypal or did they have to pay in cash? It was awful.

Yakusoku never hated the younger generation more than he does now. So self centered. So… Nosy. Damn! Was he this nosy at fourteen.

'Catch a clue idiot, you practically stalked Maria as much as she stalked you at that age, yeesh.' It still sucks.

He emailed Ai with some half-baked idea to ignore the creeps as best he can. Jerks become bigger dicks when they see it pisses you off. It's cliche, but it's the only truth and solution that there is. He emailed Hakuo then Gev, asking them how things went at school. Gev said he didn't go because he was on his way home and by the time he got there, he was over it and stayed at home. Hakuo hasn't gotten back to him yet. But, he could only imagine the shit day he must have had if Ai's was as bad as that.

Yakusoku got up from the floor and crossed the room to a mirror hanging beside the front door. He locked eyes with Will and frowned. Rrr! Damn it all! He's giving himself problems, insofar as this matter of the leaked rape footage went, but everything else is hardcore sincere agitation of having to exist in someone else's life.

The buzzing phone caught his attention and he retrieved it from the coffee table. "Hello?" It's Yakusoku's phone.

"Who's this?" Ai asked.

'Dammit. I should have checked the number!' He barated himself. "I… um… I'm a friend of Hakuo's, he went to the bathroom- it's gonna be a long one, he had some bad fish in the cafeteria." He chastised himself for that. 'They don't serve fish in school cafeterias! You idiot!' Trying to cover his tracks he corrects himself. "I'm kidding, he's just not up to it. I'm only here to do homework, but he's been in the bathroom a while."

"I can understand that… Well, tell him that I called and that I hope he feels better… I'm here if he wants to talk about it."

"Okay." He couldn't hide the sadness in his voice over wanting to stay on the phone with his brother. He wanted to talk to him. To catch up. "Bye."

"Yeah." He hung up.

Yakusoku looked at his phone. A photo of the three of them that's set as a the background, smiled back at him. He placed his thumb over Ludwig and stared at the picture with only Gev and himself, trying to imagine that it's Hakuo smiling beside his boyfriend. Even the 'what if' was too much, and he called Gev's phone.

"Hey, Gev,"

"Which one are you?" Asked the Russian. "Oh, my bad, I didn't see the number. Hey, Yakuza,"

"Hi…"

They sit in silence for a moment.

"Did you want something?"

"I just wanted to hear your voice, I guess."

"I don't need to tell you that I feel the same way," replied his boyfriend. "I'm climbing the walls with boredom over here, what are you doing?"

"Homework, then I'll wait around for dinner…"

"Wanna hang out?"

"With us? I mean, huh?" Can you blame him for being baffled? It's been a long while since they could feel like themselves inside of Will, so to have Gev ask them to hang out kind of sent Yakusoku's mind for a tailspin.

"Uh-huh. I'll pick you up." Said the savior. "We can ride around or whatever."

Taking a seat on the floor in front of Ludwig, with his legs folded like a pretzel, Yakusoku leaned forward placing his chin on his boyfriend's knees like a dog would do to its master. "What's the first thing you wanna do when we're separated?"

Ludwig didn't even have to think about it, and answered. "I wanna go on that trip with you, even if one of us is still stuck inside of Will, we can sneak away and just deal with the fallout when it comes." He cupped his boyfriend's cheeks with his hands, smiling at how funny he looks when squishing his cheeks together. "What about you?"

"I'm gonna have sex with Gev. Complete and utter, uncontrolled sex." Seeing the look on Ludwig's face, he scoffed. "What? It's the one thing Gev and I never did together… I feel guilty about it even now, but can you blame me?"

"Yes. His is the best piece of meat between two buns," he laughed when Yakusoku cringed about the expression. "Awful as that is to describe it, it's true. A certain bigness is actually pretty nice."

"Well, I like your 'bigness'," Unfolding his legs, he leans up and kisses Ludwig warmly. "If and when were separated and we 'go somewhere' together, let's make sure to bring Gev along."

"Of course,"

"No more leaving him out,"

"Never again."

Getting to his feet, Yakusoku looked around until his gaze settles on Ludwig. "Have you tried it? Using your gift, I mean?"

Ludwig gave him a look that told him he was out of his mind for even asking something like that, with a mix of 'Don't be dumb'.

"I'm serious." Yakusoku sits down in the chair beside Ludwig's. "You're a natural, I was never very good at it. But, if we're sparks, we might still have a little something in the tank. Hakuo can store his in places, so maybe we've still got a bit of ours."

"So what if we do?" Asked the Canadian. "Do you think we can get out of here ourselves? I don't have the know how or the ability."

"No, no, nothing that insane. I just thought that, maybe, we can see Gev in a dream as ourselves and not as Will."

Ludwig thought that over, then slowly shook his head. "Even if we could, I'd be too afraid to try it out. I don't wanna disappear into nothingness, and leave you or myself all alone like this."

Yakusoku's look pleads that he try anyway, but then it dwindled. "You're right. It's too risky."

"It was a nice thought,"

"Yeah."

They can hear the engine of Gev's bike pulling up to the house. They practically cheered as they sprang up from the sofa and raced for the door.

0 0 0

Hakuo stared into space as he fluffed and folded a paisley blanket with the help the human jukebox of 'Headphones Joy'. Lunch period had been super annoying, the whole time with the whispering and the staring. Actually, in that sense, things were about the same. But, this had a twist of lemon from dickbags coming up to him and asking how much he charged for this or that. He didn't reply, he only stared at them with a blank expression until they left. Hakuo's experience with people and himself, he's found it tried and true that no one likes to make direct eye contact with him, and when they do it isn't for very long.

Some people, the braver ones, asked if he practiced his techniques with Monkey? So, not only is making fun of him up for grabs, but it would seem they are back to that now. No more 'fear the abused guy, he's been through all kinds of mysterious things'. He supposed now that everyone knows what went on, he's just abused. They're confused, and so they're acting out to dispel it. Bunch of idiots.

It was kind of cool seeing Josh tell this one guy that it was obviously AV dork BS, and that if he didn't leave Hakuo alone, he'd remind the creep of what he had for breakfast. Delilah talked to him after school, telling him that he could sit at her table, if he felt it would keep bullies from bothering him. The Krenn teen declined. He'll fight his own battles. He has to, doesn't he?

And then there was Irvin Laveau, who came over to his table and 'Duffed' him, by asking if Celes was seeing anyone; and after controlling his laughter he replied, "No.". Then Irvin asked him if he could ask her out, he wanted to know if she was allowed to date? He told him to go nuts, but that if he was asking her out because he thought she would put out, he assured Irvin Laveau that he'd never be heard from again.

So, poor, otaku, Celes will be receiving a call from one lovestruck dummy, who decided he loved her because she kicked a guy in the crotch and became more than just a blush whenever she walked by. And he basically told Irvin to go for it. She's going to kill him.

Joy watched Hakuo staring into space as he went through the motions of folding a blanket or sheet with her, then with a signal of a wink to Nick, she leaned forward. "Muuua,"

Hakuo blinked back from his thoughts when the person who gave him an audible smooch moved away from him. "Huh?"

Joy laughed, took the perfectly folded blanket from him and set it down on the table. "I had to, where'd you go?"

"You didn't have to, actually," harrumphed Hakuo. "Ever hear of pinching a person," he wiped his hand across the back of his mouth. "You don't ever kiss someone like that, me especially."

Nick snickered. He watched the whole scene and found it hilarious. How can Hakuo be so uptight, after what he's seen the kid shouldn't be so high strung about weak or even strong sexual human contact? He couldn't believe it! Jensen, from floor 3 housekeeping, showed it to him during break. It was disgusting- for about a minute- then he found himself strangely turned on by it. Not a man raping a child, just the act of it. Here was this virgin just getting it good. The thought enticed him, he hasn't been with a virgin since he was a virgin himself. Awkward as it was to get worked up over something so nasty, he still found himself jerking off and releasing in the freshly cleaned toilet of room 306.

Looking at Hakuo, he wondered just how much has he changed below the belt? He wondered if he could get a peek if he asked. What? The boy's weird, anyway, he might say, yes. The argument with Joy died down and the two began folding linen individually from then on.

'I wonder if he's seeing anyone?' Thought Nick. He doesn't want to date him, but he just wondered. 'Hn. If he's dating, his boyfriend must be pissed after seeing stuff like that, if Hakuo's not putting out.'

Hakuo cut his eyes at Nick, having heard what he was thinking, didn't care for the context of his thoughts. He can't honestly think that if he had a boyfriend that their relationship would be anything but normal. It was progress and that would be that, whether he sleeps with him or not is all mood. He felt his cheeks heat when he recalled being with Gev last night, it was still so vivid. It was strange, in that sense. It was his body, obviously, but the fact that it was Mamoru at the time but the here and now feels like it was his own moment… It's trippy. It instead feels like he was the one who'd slept with the Russian, and not just physically but emotionally. He still doesn't know how he feels about him. He doesn't think it's as cut and dry as, you and I were together in some way, so we may as well keep at it. He just doesn't know.

Hakuo began to laugh hysterically for reasons his fellow co-workers can't imagine, but it made them a bit uncomfortable as they're never really heard the Krenn teen laugh before. A chuckle or snicker but never this.

"Are you ok?" Joy wondered when, after four minutes of the random outburst and Hakuo was still trying to calm himself, but finally she could get the words of concern out to him when it withered to silence.

"I was just feeling something, some residual from last night," He explained vaguely. "What was it you wanted?" He asked this of Nick; wiping tears away that squeezed out as he was laughing that hard.

"I said do you want me to drive you to your house?"

"Oh, thanks, yeah." He checked the clock, it was almost quitting time.

After helping housekeeping load the carts with the newly laundered linens, he grabbed his lunchbox from the fridge in the kitchen, then headed out into the lot with Nick.

"Your car smells like the contents of a hot dog,"

They are halfway to the Krenn home when this was declared by the passenger. Nick sniffed the air wondering if he missed something, because it smelled fine to him. It's the first time he's ever been alone with the younger man, and he frankly thought he'd have more to say.

"Is that a bad thing?" Nick wondered.

'Not if you like the scent of lips and assholes,' Hakuo smiled. "Do you have sex in your car?"

"Why? Are you offering?" He laughed.

Hakuo frowned. "No."

"Between us guys, why'd you put up those videos?"

Hakuo blinked, then asked. "Why'd you follow me only at that time?"

Embarrassed, Nick cleared his throat as a distraction. "I wasn't even aware you had a page until then."

"I didn't put up those videos, they were stolen by some AV asshole, who wanted to hurt me."

"Jesus, you must have done some mean shit to him." Nick grinned fiendishly. "That retaliation was some girl-style mean."

That made the Krenn teen laugh, he's never heard the expression of 'girl-style mean'. It sounds pretty accurate, since girls go for the throat. "Yeah. His father likes to look at and remember what he's seen with video cameras."

"He did that with you?"

"Mmhmm. I had him arrested and sonny boy didn't take it well." He points out the front window. "This is me,"

"See ya tomorrow." He says when Hakuo exited the car.

"Bye."

Hakuo walked inside, he's beat and ready to crash. He checked the fridge to see what was for dinner, having eaten the hotel menu dish of steak and french fries, he bought a yogurt from home for a snack and a carton of milk with a plus one boost in his lunch bag.

A post-it told him there was a slice a carrot cake waiting for him in the refrigerator, and he wolfed it down in the den while doing the rest of his math assignment. After tossing the paper plate and plastic fork in the trash, he went through the nightly routine of a shower, brushing, and tying up his hair.

A lone post-it note from Gev was removed from the headboard of his bed. He'd read it earlier. It simply said: Good night.

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